Effects of reducing and postponing controlled-release urea application on soil nitrogen regulation and maize grain yield
Keywords:
controlled-release urea, nitrogen regulation, maize grain yield, soil, reducing, postponingAbstract
Controlled-release urea (CRU-N) fertilizer application is a solution to improve the utilization rate of nitrogen (N), reduce economic costs and improve crop yields. It is significant to study the effects of release CRU-N reduction and the combined application of conventional urea on soil N control and the large-scale maize planting system. In this study, the effects of controlled-release nitrogen fertilizer reduction and postponement on soil nitrogen components, enzyme activities, and yields were investigated. Seven treatments were set up in this study, including no N fertilizer (CK), 100% conventional urea (U), 100% controlled-release urea (S), 30% controlled-release urea (SU3/7), 50% controlled-release urea (SU5/5), 70% controlled-release urea (SU7/3) and Sodium Salt of Polyaspartic Acid (PASP)-N. The results showed that mixed CRU-N and urea increased yields and net benefits compared with conventional urea at the same application rate of N, and reduced N loss. The application of CRU-N at 70% for maize represented the best overall effects. Compared with U treatment, soil ammonium nitrogen (NH4-N), soil nitrate-nitrogen (NO3-N), and microbial biomass nitrogen (SMB-N) of CRU-N at 70% (SU7/3) increased by 35.00%, 15.53%, and 25.04%. However, soil nitrate reductase (S-NR) and urease (S-UA) were the best in SU5/5 and significantly higher than other treatments. The applications of CRU-N would effectively increase soil N; CRU-N in 50% proportion can promote the maize root growth and improve the efficient utilization of N by soil microorganisms. Like the yields (9186.61 kg/hm2), expertly in the proportion of 70% CRU-N (SU7/3) plays a vital role in a wheat-maize rotation system, which can potentially be used to improve the yields, nitrogen use efficiency, and net benefit with low N losses. In conclusion, using CRU-N fertilize effectively improves soil nitrogen, and various ratios of CRU-N can ensure the continuous release the nutrients during the growing period. And among the different proportions of CRU-N, it is optimal in SU7/3. Keywords: controlled-release urea, nitrogen regulation, maize grain yield, soil, reducing, postponing DOI: 10.25165/j.ijabe.20221501.6888 Citation: Ji P T, Peng Y J, Cui Y W, Li X L, Tao P J, Zhang Y C. Effects of reducing and postponing controlled-release urea application on soil nitrogen regulation and maize grain yield. Int J Agric & Biol Eng, 2022; 15(1): 116–123.References
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[30] Li P E, Lu J W, Wang Y. Nitrogen losses use efficiency and productivity of early rice under controlled-release urea. Agr Ecosyst Environ, 2018; 251: 78–87.
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[33] Sosulski T, Szara E, Szymanska M, Stępień W. N2O emission and nitrogen and carbon leaching from the soil in relation to long-term and current mineral and organic fertilization- A laboratory study. Plant Soil Environ, 2017; 63: 97–104.
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[35] Zaman M, Saggar S, Blennerhassett J D, Singh J. Effect of urease and nitrification inhibitors on N transformation, gaseous emissions of ammonia and nitrous oxide pasture yield and N uptake in grazed pasture system. Soil Biology & Biochemistry, 2009; 41(6): 1270–1280.
[36] Gang H, Wang Z, Li F, Dai J, Ma X, Li Q, et al. Soil nitrate-N residue, loss and accumulation affected by soil surface management and precipitation in a winter wheat-summer fallow system on dryland. Nutrient Cycling in Agroecosystems, 2016; 106(1): 31–46.
[37] Allison V J, Condron L M, Peltzer D A, Richardson S J, Turner B L. Changes in enzyme activities and soil microbial biomass community composition along carbon and nutrient gradients at the Franz Josef chronsequence, New Zealand. Soil Biology and Biochemistry, 2007; 39(7): 1770–1781.
[38] Dai J, Wang Z, Li M, He G, Li Q, Chao H, et al. Winter wheat grain yield and summer nitrate leaching: Long-term effects of nitrogen and phosphorus rates on the Loess Plateau of China. Field Crops Research, 2019; 196: 180–190.
[39] Li T Y, Zhang W F, Yin J, Chadwick D, Norse D, Lu Y, et al. Enhanced-efficiency fertilizer are not a panacea for resolving the nitrogen problem. Global Change Biology, 2018; 24: 511–521.
[40] Shaviv A. Advances in controlled-release fertilizers. Advances in Agronomy, 2001; 71: 1–49.
[41] Guo J M, Wang Y H, Blaylock A D. Mixture of controlled release and normal urea to optimize nitrogen management for high-yielding (>15 Mg ha−1) maize. Field Crops Res, 2017; 204: 23–30.
[42] Gao X, Li C, Zhang M, Li T, Lu Y, Liu L. Controlled release urea improved crop yields and mitigated nitrate leaching under cotton-garlic intercropping system in a 4-year field trial. Soil Tillage Res, 2018; 175: 158–167.
[43] Mikula K, Izydorczyk G, Skrzypaczak D, Mironiuk M, Moustakas K, Witek-Krowiak A, et al. Controlled release micronutrient fertilizers for precision agriculture-A review. Science of the Total Environment, 2020; 712: 136365. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2019.136365.
[44] Tian X, Li C, Zhang M, Li T, Lu Y Y, Liu L F. Controlled release urea improved crop yields and mitigated nitrate leaching under contton-garlic intercropping system in a 4–year field trial. Soil Tillage Res, 2018; 175: 158–167.
[45] Tang L, Sun H R, Sun R X, Niu Y N, Song J R, Li S Q, et al. Optimized nitrogen application increases soil water extraction by changing in-season maize root morphology and distribution in rainfed farmland. Agronomy, 2020; 10(10): 1606. doi: 10.3390/agronomy10101606.
[2] China Agriculture Statistical Report. Editorial Board of Ministry of Agriculture. China Agriculture Press: Beijing, China, 2017; 195p (in Chinese)
[3] Worku M, Nziger M B, Erley G S A, Friesen D, Diallo A O, Horst W J. Nitrogen uptake and utilization in contrasting nitrogen efficient tropical maize hybrids. Crop Science, 2007; 47(2): 519–528.
[4] Li P E, Lu J W, Wang Y. Nitrogen losses use efficiency and productivity of early rice under controlled-release urea. Agr Ecosyst Environ, 2018; 251: 78–87.
[5] Sutton M A, Oenema O, Erisman J M. Too much of a good thing. Nature, 2011; 472 (7342): 159–161.
[6] Homme P H A M. Short-term fertilizer outlook 2016-2017. IFA, 2016; pp. 1–3.
[7] Lam S K, Suter H, Bai M, Walker C, Mosier A R, van Grinsven H, et al. Decreasing ammonia loss from an Australian pasture with the use of enhanced efficiency fertilizers. Agriculture Ecosystems & Environment, 2019; 283: 106553. doi: 10.1016/j.agee.2019.05.012.
[8] Chen Y, Peng J, Wang J, Fu P H, Hou Y, Zhang C D, et al. Crop management based on multi-split topdressing enhances grain yield and nitrogen use efficiency in irrigated rice in China. Field Crops Research, 2015; 184: 50–57.
[9] Ke J, He R, Hou P, Ding C, Ding Y F, Wang S H, et al. Combined controlled-released nitrogen fertilizers and deep placement effects of N leaching, rice yield and N recovery in machine-transplanted rice. Agris Ecosyst Environ, 2018; 265: 402–412.
[10] Xiao Y, Peng F, Zhang Y, Wang J, Zhuge Y P, Zhang S S, et al. Effect of bag-controlled release fertilizer on nitrogen loss greenhouse gas emissions and nitrogen applied amount in peach production. J Clean Prod, 2019; 234: 258–274.
[11] Azeem B, KuShaari K, Man Z B, Basit A, Thanh T H. Review on materials & methods to produce controlled release coated urea fertilizer. Journal Control Release, 2014; 191(1): 11–21.
[12] Zhang W, Liang Z, He X, Wang X W, Shi X J, Zou C Q, et al. The effects of controlled release urea on maize productivity and reactive nitrogen losses: A meta-analysis. Environ Pollut, 2019; 246: 559–565.
[13] Xu C M, Wang D Y, Chen S, Chen L P, Zhang X F. Effects of Aeration on root physiology and nitrogen metabolism in rice. Rice Science, 2013; 20(2): 148–153.
[14] Gao X F, Chen H H, Govaert L, Wang W P, Yang J. Responses of zooplankton body size and community trophic structure to temperature change in a subtropical reservoir. Ecol. Evol, 2019; 22(9): 12544–12555.
[15] Akiyama H, Yan X, Yagi K. Evaluation of effectiveness of enhanced-efficiency fertilizers as mitigation options for N2O and NO emissions from agricultural soils: Meta-analysis. Global Change Biology, 2010; 16(6): 1837–1846.
[16] Tian C, Zhou X, Ding Z L, Liu Q, Xie G X, Peng J W, et al. Controlled-release N fertilizer to mitigate ammonia volatilization from double-cropping rice. Nutr Cycl Agroecosyst, 2020; 199: 123–137.
[17] Geng J B, Sun Y B, Zhang M, Li C L, Yang Y C, Liu Z G, et al. Long-term effects of controlled release urea application on crop yields and soil fertility under rice-oilseed rape rotation system. Field Crops Res, 2015; 184: 65–73.
[18] Zheng W K, Zhang M, Liu Z G, Zhou H Y, Lu H, Zhang W T, et al. . Combining controlled-release urea and normal urea to improve the nitrogen use efficiency and yield under wheat-maize double cropping system. Field Crops Res, 2016; 197: 52–62.
[19] Xu X, He P, Yang F, Ma J C, Pampolino M F, Johnston A M, et al. Methodology of fertilizer recommendation based on yield response and agronomic efficiency for rice in China. Field Crop Res, 2017; 206: 33–42.
[20] Miller W P, Miller D M. A micro-popette method for soil mechanical analysis. Commum. Soil Sci. Plant Anal, 1987; 18(1): 1–15.
[21] Bremner J M, Mulvaney C S. Nitrogen-total. In: Page A L, Miller R H, Keeney D R (Ed.). Methods of soil analysis, Part 2, chemical and microbial properties. Agronomy Monograph 9. Agronomy Society of America, Madison, Wisconsin, 1982; pp.595–624.
[22] Sinha S K, Rani M, Bansal N, Gayatri, Venkatesh K, Mandal P K. Nitrate starvation induced changes in root system architecture, carbon: nitrogen metabolism, and miRNA expression in nitrogen-responsive wheat genotypes. Appl Biochem Biotechnol, 2015; 177: 1299–1312.
[23] Kandeler A, Gerber H. Short-term assay of soil urease activity using colorimetric determination of ammonium. Biol. Fertil. Soils, 1988; 6: 68–72.
[24] Li Z L, Liu Z G, Zhang M, Li C L, Li Y C, Wan Y S, et al. Long-term effects of controlled-release potassium chloride on soil available potassium, nutrient absorption and yield of maize plants. Soil Tillage Res, 2020; 196: 104438. doi: 10.1016/j.still.2019.104438.
[25] Wilding L P. In: Nielson D R, Bouma J (Ed.). Spatial variability: Its documentation, accommodation and implication to soil surveys. Soil Spatial Variability, Purdoc, Wageningen, 1984; pp.166–193.
[26] Skiba U, Wainwright M. Urea hydrolysis and transformations in coastal dune sands and soil. Plant Soil, 1984; 82: 117–123.
[27] Galloway J N, Townsend A R, Erisman J W, Bekunda M, Cai Z, Freney J, Martinelli L A, et al. Transformation of the nitrogen cycle: recent trends, questions, and potential solutions. Science, 2008; 320(5878): 889–892.
[28] Marchive C, Rounier F, Castaings L, Brehaut V, Blondet E, Colot V, et al. Nuclear retention of the transcription factor NLP7 orchestrates the early response to nitrate in plants. Natture Communications, 2013; 4(1): 1713. doi: 10.1038/ncomms2650.
[29] Liu F, Xu Y R, Chang K X, Li S, Liu Z, Qi S, et al. The long noncoding RNA T5120 regulates nitrate response and assimilation in Arabidopsis. New Phytol, 2019; 224(1): 117–132.
[30] Li P E, Lu J W, Wang Y. Nitrogen losses use efficiency and productivity of early rice under controlled-release urea. Agr Ecosyst Environ, 2018; 251: 78–87.
[31] Zheng W, Liu Z, Zhang M, Shi Y, Zhu Q. Improving crop yields, nitrogen use efficiencies and profits by using mixtures of coated controlled-released and uncoated urea in a wheat-maize system. Field Crop Res, 2017; 205: 106–115.
[32] Cui Z, Zhang H, Chen X, Zhang C, Ma W, Huang C, et al. Pursuing sustainable productivity with millions of smallholder farmers. Nat. Cell Biol, 2018; 555: 363–366.
[33] Sosulski T, Szara E, Szymanska M, Stępień W. N2O emission and nitrogen and carbon leaching from the soil in relation to long-term and current mineral and organic fertilization- A laboratory study. Plant Soil Environ, 2017; 63: 97–104.
[34] Incrocci L, Maggini R, Cei T, Gcrmassi G, Botrini L, Filippi F, et al. Innovative controlled release polyurethane-coated urea could reduce N leaching in tomato crop in comparison to conventional and stabilized fertilizers. Agronomy, 2020; 10: 1827. doi: 10.3390/ agronomy10111827.
[35] Zaman M, Saggar S, Blennerhassett J D, Singh J. Effect of urease and nitrification inhibitors on N transformation, gaseous emissions of ammonia and nitrous oxide pasture yield and N uptake in grazed pasture system. Soil Biology & Biochemistry, 2009; 41(6): 1270–1280.
[36] Gang H, Wang Z, Li F, Dai J, Ma X, Li Q, et al. Soil nitrate-N residue, loss and accumulation affected by soil surface management and precipitation in a winter wheat-summer fallow system on dryland. Nutrient Cycling in Agroecosystems, 2016; 106(1): 31–46.
[37] Allison V J, Condron L M, Peltzer D A, Richardson S J, Turner B L. Changes in enzyme activities and soil microbial biomass community composition along carbon and nutrient gradients at the Franz Josef chronsequence, New Zealand. Soil Biology and Biochemistry, 2007; 39(7): 1770–1781.
[38] Dai J, Wang Z, Li M, He G, Li Q, Chao H, et al. Winter wheat grain yield and summer nitrate leaching: Long-term effects of nitrogen and phosphorus rates on the Loess Plateau of China. Field Crops Research, 2019; 196: 180–190.
[39] Li T Y, Zhang W F, Yin J, Chadwick D, Norse D, Lu Y, et al. Enhanced-efficiency fertilizer are not a panacea for resolving the nitrogen problem. Global Change Biology, 2018; 24: 511–521.
[40] Shaviv A. Advances in controlled-release fertilizers. Advances in Agronomy, 2001; 71: 1–49.
[41] Guo J M, Wang Y H, Blaylock A D. Mixture of controlled release and normal urea to optimize nitrogen management for high-yielding (>15 Mg ha−1) maize. Field Crops Res, 2017; 204: 23–30.
[42] Gao X, Li C, Zhang M, Li T, Lu Y, Liu L. Controlled release urea improved crop yields and mitigated nitrate leaching under cotton-garlic intercropping system in a 4-year field trial. Soil Tillage Res, 2018; 175: 158–167.
[43] Mikula K, Izydorczyk G, Skrzypaczak D, Mironiuk M, Moustakas K, Witek-Krowiak A, et al. Controlled release micronutrient fertilizers for precision agriculture-A review. Science of the Total Environment, 2020; 712: 136365. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2019.136365.
[44] Tian X, Li C, Zhang M, Li T, Lu Y Y, Liu L F. Controlled release urea improved crop yields and mitigated nitrate leaching under contton-garlic intercropping system in a 4–year field trial. Soil Tillage Res, 2018; 175: 158–167.
[45] Tang L, Sun H R, Sun R X, Niu Y N, Song J R, Li S Q, et al. Optimized nitrogen application increases soil water extraction by changing in-season maize root morphology and distribution in rainfed farmland. Agronomy, 2020; 10(10): 1606. doi: 10.3390/agronomy10101606.
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2022-02-26
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Ji, P., Peng, Y., Cui, Y., Li, X., Tao, P., & Zhang, Y. (2022). Effects of reducing and postponing controlled-release urea application on soil nitrogen regulation and maize grain yield. International Journal of Agricultural and Biological Engineering, 15(1), 116–123. Retrieved from https://ijabe.migration.pkpps03.publicknowledgeproject.org/index.php/ijabe/article/view/6888
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